“Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
-Psalm 1: 1-3 (abridged)
I vividly remember a particular day a few years ago when I was walking along a trail in my neighborhood. This trail was one of my favorite places to be the previous Spring. There’s a creek that runs along it, the grass was green, and wildflowers were growing all around. It was breathtaking. However, its beauty did not last indefinitely. Being that I lived in California at the time, everything tends to die in the dry heat of Summer. The grass and flowers died, and the trail became overgrown, thus being prime territory for rattlesnakes to hide in. Because of this, I stopped visiting the trail for months. In fact, I pretty much had forgotten about it until my roommate excitedly told me that some recent rain had caused the greenery to return, and the grass had been cut, making it no longer overgrown. So, I finally ventured back out onto this once beloved trail, and remember being taken aback by it. What was dead and chaotic had been replaced by new life!
As the book of Ecclesiastes tells us, for everything there is a season (Ecc. 3:1). The trail I was traversing that day was vastly different from the dead, overgrown field it had been in the Summer. However, it also held a different kind of beauty from the trail I had encountered the previous Spring. There were no purple wildflowers, but the grass was a different shade of green, that almost seemed fresher. And because it was newly cut, the trail wasn’t as defined, so I was able to wander around to places I hadn’t been able to before.
As we see reflected in nature, there will inevitably be seasons of change throughout our lives as well. We don’t often view things as seasons when we’re in it. We may use phrases to comfort others such as “don’t worry, it’s just a season”. And we may even try to comfort ourselves on a surface level with words like that. But it doesn’t feel like a season when we are walking through dead dreams and weeds of doubt. It feels final. And we don’t want to believe the good times are just a “season” either. We hold on as tightly as we can to the things that give us joy and comfort and we feel blindsided when change inevitably comes. But seasons are necessary. Without the scorching heat of the Summer, there would be no path for new growth after what is dead and overgrown is cleared away. And we may find ourselves longing for the wildflowers of Spring, but then we may risk missing out on the fresh paths there are to explore in their absence. There is purpose in the different seasons we walk through, even the painful, lonely ones.
This is a comforting concept, especially for me right now as I am currently navigating a heavy season of transition (as are many others that I know). It has been a season of waiting, praying, consistent surrender, and having to constantly come back to a place of choosing to trust in the Lord when I feel the fear creep back in. I always thought I enjoyed and welcomed change. I certainly have been given plenty of practice over the past few years! But even with that being said, there is always an aspect of mystery to change that makes it difficult to navigate, even when the change itself may be good. We may know bits and pieces about what we’re walking into, but we never truly know until we get there. So really, we are walking into the unknown.
The only way we can walk into the unknown peacefully and confidently is when we have someone we trust to comfort and guide us through it. Thankfully, we do! Psalm 23 talks about our “good shepherd”, who leads us besides still waters, who comforts and protects us to the extent that we don’t even need to fear when walking through life’s darkest valleys. My Good Shepherd has brought me so much peace in this season. At the times when I have felt the most anxious about the unknown and grief ahead (as change also inevitably comes with loss), I have found peace in the presence of my Savior. Just sitting with God, talking to Him, sharing my fears and doubts, and going back to Scripture, remembering the assurances there. One concept that has brought me peace lately has been the idea that I may not know what the next chapter holds, but I know how the story ends. I want to be like Paul, who says in Philippians 3:8 “ I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” When I view things from that lens, it truly is exciting to have an opportunity to follow the Lord’s leading, even into an unknown and potentially challenging season. All for the glory of God!
When I find myself discouraged by where I’m at, or the trajectory I seem to be on, Psalm 1 has provided such a comforting visual for me. There will be seasons where we are not producing any fruit. Seasons where we feel stagnant in our growth, or completely barren. But Scripture constantly gives this visual of death giving way to new life. “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds,” (John 12:24). I love the hope this illustration of seasons brings. Just like that tree planted by streams of water, if we remain rooted in Jesus, allowing ourselves to be filled with the living water that only he can give us, we will never be destroyed, and we will prosper in God’s eternal Kingdom that starts here and now. This truth brings such hope to all Believers! Praise the Lord for the fact that regardless of what season you’re in, the hope of Christ never changes.
“I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ,[d] who gives me strength.”
-Philippians 4:11-13
Meet the Author:
Desiree Baroni was born and raised in Modesto, California, but relocated to the Nashville, Tennessee area in 2022 to continue her work with the pastoral care team at K-Love radio, where she was able to pray with individuals from around the country and has also written devotional content for the pastoral team. She is passionate about bringing the light and hope of Jesus especially to those who suffer from mental illness and is currently pursuing her masters degree in counseling through Dallas Theological seminary.